Shower stall construction



L. CHARTERIS SHOWER STALL CONSTRUCTION April 5; 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet" 2 Filed May 27, 1946 INVENTOR.

1554/5 CHAFTEQ/i Arm/9min Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE SHOWER STALL CONSTRUCTION Leslie; Charteris, LosAngeles, Calif.

Application May27, 1946', Serial No. 672,584

'2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to bath apparatus, and

more particularly to animproved shower stall construction.

Anobject of my invention is toprovide an improved shower stall andstorage closet constructionparticularly adaptedfor, but not necessarilylimited to, installation and use inlocations where economy of space isan important factor, such as; in house trailers and small apartmentdwellings.

A more detailed object in this connection is the provision of acombined. shower stall and storage closet construction wherein thestorage closet is mounted adjacent, the shower stall, of which it formsa portion and which is movable in such a. manner that it can beretracted to occupy a position inside the showerstalli so that both thestall. and the storage closet occupy a space no larger than thatrequired for the shower stall alone when the shower stall; is not beingused.

A further object is to provide a mounting for the storage closet of sucha nature that the closet is subject tobeing. withdrawn easily andquickly ated with the. shower stall atv all times except when. the,storage closet is removed therefrom.

A- still further object. is to provide a shower curtain andv asupporting. device therefor which is. drawn automatically into operativeposition across the front of the. shower. stall when. the storage closetis. withdrawn therefrom. ands retracted into. concealed position. withinthe shower stall. when the storage closet is moved thereinto.

It is a further object of the invention to pro,- vide. a combined showerstall and. storage closet construction. of the; general characterindicated which. is relatively simple, and. inexpensive andyet. whichis. generally superior inefficiency andserviceability.

The invention possesses, other objectsand ad'- vantageous features,some. of which, with those. enumerated, are setforth in the followingdescription of the inventions particular. embodtments which are.illustrated in. the, drawings accompanying and. forming a. part of thespecie fication. The. form of construction herein dis-.

closed. has in. actual. use. proven to, be very ellicient capable offacile and; rapid; operation. and generally desirable in other respects.For these however, that while these details are hereinafterspecific-ally described, variations may be effected within the scope ofthe invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure I is a perspective view of a combined shower stall and storage.closet construction in.- corporati'ng the principles of the presentinvention, illustrating one manner of installation thereof which adaptsitparticularly for use in a house trailer. This figure illustrates theinvention with the storage closet in retracted position within theshower stall.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showingthe storage closetwithdrawn from the shower stall.

Figure 3 is a vertical, medial sectional view taken through the combinedconstruction of the present invention ina plane extending longitudinallyof the trailer, this plane being indicated by the lines 3-3 of Figure 1'and the direction of view by the arrows.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view, the plane of; section beingindicatedv by the line 4-4 of. Figure 3' and the direction of view bythe arrows.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but with the storage closetremoved from the shower stall as indicated in Figure 2.

Figure 6' is a view similar to Figure 4, but showing a slightlymodifiedform of construction.

Figure Iisa View similar to Figure 6, but showing. the storage. closetwithdrawn. from the shower stall.

Referring first to the modification of my invention. indicated inFigures 1 to 5 inclusive, my combined shower stall and storage closetcon struction. is. illustrated as installed in the corner defined bytherear wall 1 and the right-hand side wall 8 of a conventional: housetrailer. It shoulclbeunderstood however that the construc tion, formingthe subject matter of the present invention is. notlimited; to such.manner of in-- stallation inasmuchv as by a simple rearrange-- ment, ofparts, Well. within the comprehension 0t workmen. skilled in the art towhich this invention pertains, it can be adapted. for installation inawide variety. of di-fferentlocations. However; owing. tothe fact thatoneoi the salientfeatures of theinvention is the economy ofspacewhich itefiectsp it makes available a nearly ideal arrangement for. use in.house trailers and small apartment.dwellingswhere economy of space is aconsideration of prime importance.

The shower stall indicated in its entirety at 9 comprises a rear wall IIwhich may be a continuation of the rear wall I of the trailer itself,and a side wall I2 which similarly may well be a continuation of theside wall 8 of the trailer. The floor of the shower stall 9 ispreferably in the nature of a receptor I3 the surface of which slopesdownward to a drainopening I4 in the conventional manner. The top of theshower stall 9 is preferably defined by a ceiling l6 which, when theinvention is used as a feature of installation in a house trailer, mayconveniently constitute also the bottom wall of a tank IT for thestorage of water it for use in the shower.

Thus it may be seen that the stationary portions of the shower stall 8include a rear wall H and but a single side wall 12. The opposite sidewall of the shower stall 9, when the shower stall is in condition forits normal use, is presented by a wall 2| of a storage closet 22 whichis pivotally mounted, preferably by a piano hinge 23, for movement abouta vertical axis adjacent the edge of the shower stalls rear wall 1 lwhich is remote from the side wall l2 thereof.

The stall 2! preferably constitutes the rear wall of the storage closet22 inasmuch as the opposite wall 23 is defined by a door hinged asindicated at 24 to the forward edge of one of the two side Walls 28 ofthe storage closet. The storage closet 22 also includes a top wall orceiling 2! and a floor 28 so that when the door 23 is closed anymaterial stored within the closet is adequately protected from dust,moisture, or the like.

Since the axis of the hinge 23 is closely adjacent the intersection ofthe plane of the outer face of the closets side wall 26 and the plane ofthe inner face of the trailers after wall I, the entire storage closet22 is subject to being swung optionally from retracted position withinthe shower stall 9 as illustrated in Figure 1, or to its Figure 2position wherein the storage closet 22 is disposed alongside the showerstall 9, thus leaving the shower stall 9 unoccupied and available foruse for bathing. However, when it is not desired to so use the showerstall 9, the storage closet 22 can be swung back into the shower stallso that the total space occupied by both shower stall and storage closetis no greater than that required for the shower stall alone.

A shower head 3! preferably of conventional design is suitably mountedin operative relation within the shower stall 9 so as to direct itsspray therein in a manner capable of affording the greatest convenienceto a person showering therein. In the modification presently beingdiscussed,

the shower head 3! is disposed at an elevation reater than the highestportion of the pivotally mounted closet 22 inasmuch as the latter isonly slightly smaller in its outside horizontal dimensions than theinside horizontal dimensions of the shower stall 9, with the result thatthe closet 22, in being retracted into the shower stall moves intoposition directly under the shower head 3|. A valve 32 is interposed inthe tubing 33 whereby water is conducted to the shower head 3|, thisvalve 32 comprising a housing 34 having a stem 36 which operates to openor close the valve by moving through 90 or less, about an axis inalignment with that of the hinge 23. Moreover, the stem 36 is providedwith a'lateral extension 31 which is rigidly secured to any suitableportion of the storage closet 22 with the result that when the closet 22is moved upon its axis the valve 32 is opened or closed, depending uponwhether the closet 22 is being swung outwards or inwards, respectively,with respect to the shower stall 9. Accordingly, when the storage closet22 is in retracted position within the shower stall 9, means areprovided for positively preventing leakage of water from the shower head3| onto the storage closet 22, which might otherwise result fromcarelessness on the part of the operator in shutting the control valve(not shown) by which he normally regulates flow through the shower head3 1. However, owing to the fact that removal of the storage closet 22from the shower stall is accompanied by opening of the valve 32, it isnecessary for the operator only to manipulate the said control valve inorder to actuate the shower head, when the storage closet 22 iswithdrawn from the shower stall.

I also prefer to provide a shower curtain 4| preferably of conventionaldesign and material, suspended from a suitable member 42 termed herein acurtain rod even though it is of a flexible nature. One end of thiscurtain rod 42 is aifixed to the shower stall 9 adjacent the front edgeof its side wall 12 while the opposite end of the curtain rod 42 isaffixed to the storage closet 22 adjacent the front edge of the rearwall 2| of the storage closet. Hence, when the storage closet 22 isretracted into the shower stall 9, the rod 42 and the curtain 4|suspended therefrom are also withdrawn into the shower stall where theyboth are substantially concealed by the storage closet 22. However, whenthe storage closet 22 is withdrawn from the shower stall 9, the end ofthe curtain rod 42 which is carried by the storage closet is swungoutwards until the curtain rod 42 is stretched substantially taut acrossthe front of the shower stall 9 as best illustrated in Figure 2, inwhich position it supports the curtain in such a manner that it canoptionally be drawn across the front of the shower stall to preventsplashing on the floor outside the shower stall, or drawn to one side.

The modification thus far described is adapted for installation in acorner of a room inside the space defined by the walls thereof, i. e.,projecting into the room itself. However, Figures 6 and 7 illustrate aslightly modified form of construction adapted for installation in sucha manner that when the storage closet is retracted into the shower stallnone of the space defined by the walls of the room is occupied by eitherthe shower stall or the closet. Here the shower stall 5! is defined by arear wall 52 and two spaced side walls 53 which extend inwards from thewall 54 of the room into which the shower stall 5! opens. The storagecloset 56 is mounted as by a hinge 51 for pivotal movement about avertical axis adjacent the inner section of the inner face of one of'the side walls 53 and the outer face of the rooms wall 54. In thisinstance the axis of the hinge 51 is adjacent one of the forward cornersof the storage closet 56 so that the closet 56 can be swung outwardsfrom the shower stall 5! into position wherein it extends into the room,but offset from the shower stall 5| as shown in Figure 7. This type ofconstruction requires that the shower stall 5| be materially wider thanthe storage closet 56 so as to provide the clearance which is necessaryto compensate for the arcuate path traversed by the corner of thestorage closet diagonally opposite the hinge 51 as the storage closet 56moves into or out of the shower stall 5|. Accordingly, the front wall ofthe storage closet 22 includes an extended wing portion 9| wide enoughto extend across, and thus eifectually close, the front of the showerstall 5| when the storage closet 56 is swung into the shower stall 5|,as illustrated in Figure 6.

I claim:

1. In a combined shower stall and storage closet construction, a showerstall comprising a rear wall and at least one side wall, a shower headassociated. with said stall in position to direct its spray therein, acloset pivotally mounted for movement about a vertical axis adjacent theedge of said rear wall remote from said side wall and optionally intosaid shower stall or out of said shower stall into position wherein aside of said closet serves as another side wall of said shower stall, aflexible curtain rod secured at one end adjacent the forward edge ofsaid first mentioned side wall and at its other end to said closetadjacent the edge of the rear wall thereof remote from said axis, and ashower curtain suspended from said rod.

2. In a combined shower stall and storage closet construction, a showerstall comprising a rear wall and at least one side wall, a shower headassociated with said stall in position to direct its spray therein, acloset pivotally mounted for movement about a vertical axis adjacent theedge of said rear wall remote from said side wall and optionally intosaid shower stall or out of said shower stall into position wherein aside of said closet serves as another side wall of said shower stall,and means operable by said closet in moving into said shower stall formaking said shower head inoperative.

3. In a combined shower stall and storage closet construction, a showerstall comprising a rear wall and at least one side wall, a shower headassociated with said stall in position to direct its spray therein, acloset pivotally mounted for movement about a vertical axis adjacent theedge of said rear wall remote from said side wall and optionally intosaid shower stall or out of said shower stall into position wherein aside of said closet serves as another 'side wall of said shower stall,means for supplying water to said shower head comprising a valvehousing, a stem mounted for rotary movement therein, and tubingconnecting said housing to said shower head, said valve being mounted onsaid shower stall in position with said stem in axial alignment withsaid axis of said closets movement, and means connecting said stem tosaid closet.

4. In a combined shower stall and storage closet construction, meansproviding a shower stall, a closet mounted thereadjacent for moveunentoptionally into or out of said shower stall a shower head operativelyassociated with said shower stall, and means actuated by said closet inmoving into said shower stall for cutting ofi the supply of water tosaid shower head.

5. In a combined shower stall and storage closet construction, meansproviding a shower stall, a closet mounted thereadjacent for movementoptionally into or out of said shower stall, a shower head operativelyassociated with said shower stall, a valve controlling supply of waterto said shower head, and means for closing said valve when said closetis moved into said shower stall and for operating said valve when saidcloset is moved out of said shower stall.

6. In a combined shower stall and storage closet construction, meansproviding a shower stall, a closet mounted thereadjacent for movementoptionally into or out of said shower stall, a shower head operativelyassociated with said shower stall, a shower curtain, and a flexiblecurtain rod supporting said curtain and operably connected to saidcloset to be moved into said shower stall when said closet is movedthereinto and to be drawn across the front of said shower stall whensaid closet is withdrawn therefrom.

7. A combined shower stall construction comprising stationary side andrear walls intersecting each other to define a rear corner of saidstall, a storage closet comprising a pair of spaced side walls and frontand rear walls, said closet being removably receivable within said stallwith its rear wall adjacent and parallel to said rear wall of said stalland with one of its side walls adjacent and parallel to said side wallof said stall, and hinge means secured to said closet at the rear cornerthereof defined by said closets other side wall and rear wall, saidhinge means also being secured to said stalls rear wall at a positionspaced from said side wall of said stall by a distance at least as greatas the width of said closet whereby said closet can be swung outwardlyfrom said stall-about the axis of said hinge means to position saidclosets other side wall adjacent and substantially parallel to saidstalls rear wall with said rear wall of said closet extendingsubstantially perpendicularly lfrom said stalls rear wall to define theother side wall of said stall.

LESLIE CHARTERIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,183,420 Abramson May 16, 19161,731,746 Hunter Oct. 15, 1929 2,200,934; Platt et a1 May 14, 1940

